The Hyper-gifted Ones
You know somebody like this. In fact, it may even be you: someone in possession of an absolute bouquet of marvelous, enviable Giftings. They can play in a rock band, they can create, run, and sell a highly profitable business, they have a black belt in judo, and they write all their own computer code. On the side they have ribbons from a dozen triathlons and fly their own jet plane. With a modicum of luck they may even have a happy domestic life.
To be truthful, though, we also know many who are multi-Gifted but who never amount to much. That’s because for them, the bounty of Giftings has become a baffling curse, not a source of multiple blessings.
You’d think that someone who seems gifted at everything would be supremely successful and endlessly happy. You’d think.
Sadly, we all know some such individuals who lead a life of anonymous frustration, one false start following another. They play an endless game of whack-a-mole, growing old without having accomplished much of anything. It irks them deeply, because they “could have been” something remarkable, they know they could have been going into the sunset with glowing memories of achievement and making a difference.
Paradoxically, being richly blessed with a whole bagful of enviable Giftings can be a curse if you don’t know how to triage them and use one or two as the engine of success. If you spend your lifetime dabbling in a little of this and a little of that, all at a high level but without full commitment, the chances of notable achievement and high satisfaction are pretty slim.
This therefore begs the question: how do you pick the “right” Gifting(s) out of a bountiful supply? Let me suggest an analysis along the following lines:
1. List those Giftings which you possess where (putting modesty aside for a moment) you know you are far better than average.
2. Rank them first for proficiency, the top being the Gifting or Giftings where you know you are the best, or in the top percentile. Don’t be falsely humble, here, but on the other hand don’t waste time on abilities which are at best modest. (This is why “Rock Star” doesn’t get any billing on my list.)
3. Rank them according to enjoyment and satisfaction.
4. Rank them again according to potential lifetime financial value.
5. Rank them again for those that are practical to exercise given your current commitments and station.
6. Rank them yet again for those which call for full-time focus, and those which can be exercised on the side, or in your spare time.
7. Finally, rank them again for your “bucket list”, those which, if you don’t try, you’ll die disappointed.
8. Share your lists with those closest to you. They might be surprised about you, and you might be surprised about them, but in any case, you’ll get closer to what you need to know.
And if all else fails, maybe we need to talk.